


My Sky

by skyori_anon



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, F/F, M/M, Shiori too but we all knew that one, The character that dies is Shun's grandpa, are they major characters?, i promise not in a weird way though, implied giant sentient birdfuckin', that's not a spoiler it's in the fic desc, well i don't know and i don't care enough to ask anyone.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29670771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyori_anon/pseuds/skyori_anon
Summary: Shun learns something about his parentage upon his grandfather's untimely death/ "She had an undescribed relationship with his mother" This is what I meant by that.
Relationships: (sort of????) - Relationship, Kazami Shiori/Phoenix | Skyress, Kazami Shun/Kuusou Danma | Daniel "Dan" Kuso
Comments: 23
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Important notes  
> -For context, this is the ask that I sent that set this whole thing off. Sorry if the link doesn't work, I'm a fucking baby at ao3 and I don't want to bother making it look right. I'm lazy, sue me. You can copy paste if it doesn't work.
> 
> https://senotsuri.tumblr.com/post/640623139470082048/skyress-did-have-an-undescribed-relationship-with
> 
> -Dan doesn't live with Shun permanently. He tends to bounce between his friends' places because he gets lonely and bored staying in one place too long, mostly Shun and Runo and sometimes Marucho.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the one where Shun's grandpa dies.

Shun wasn’t ready for this. It’s not as if he’d thought Grandpa was going to live forever- hell, he’d known this was coming for the past few months, even- but he hadn’t expected him to go downhill so fast. The man he’d known as strong and obstinate for his entire childhood was just behind that door. He was strict, both in his training and his everyday manner, and he had his weird grudge against bakugan for whatever reason, but the fact remained that he was the only family Shun had left.

And he was dying. Going the same way as his daughter had, just eight years before. Shun remembered that day like the back of his hand, how could he not? It was even the same goddamned hospital. He stood in front of the entrance to the room like a statue, only returning to motion at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Dan. Fuck. He’d momentarily forgotten Dan was with him on this trip, which was a difficult feat at his usual levels of chatter, but they’d both come a long way from where they were when Shun’s mother died.

“Come on,” Dan said, giving Shun a gentle push towards the door. “You’ve got this. You want me to come in with you?” 

Shun did want Dan to come in with him, very much so. But he didn’t want to ask him to. Dan had barely met Grandpa, after all- maybe once or twice when they were kids. It would be awkward as hell for him, especially if the old man decided to go on one of his famed tirades about Bakugan and how awful they were, because as much as Shun trusted Dan, he’d never known him to back down from an argument for pretty much any reason. “Nah,” He tried to sound nonchalant, but failed entirely to disguise the tremor in his voice, then quickly entered the room to avoid any further questioning. Out of the uncomfortably quiet frying pan and into the significantly more uncomfortably quiet fryer.

The environment was smaller than his mother’s room had been, and much more sparsely decorated. Both made sense. Shiori had been in the hospital longer, and she had also made friends that weren’t quiet, cryptic ninja types, and that did normal people things like leaving flowers and get-well-soon cards. There was a hand washing station with a cabinet behind it, a small table, and a bed. Shun had deliberately saved that for last. 

His grandpa, it appeared, had somewhat retained his sharp senses, because as Shun stepped closer the old man’s eyes opened. 

“Shun, you’ve finally come.” His voice was rough and hoarse, and hurt to listen to. 

“Yes, Grandpa. I’m here.”

“Come close to me, I want to see your face.” 

Shun hesitantly stepped closer, mentally preparing himself for some form of lecture on how he hasn’t visited before, how he’s selfish, childlike for putting his own fears of the hospital ahead of his own flesh and blood. Instead, the expression on Grandpa’s face is one of deep sorrow.

“Shun. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Tears begin to slide down his cheeks. “You were so lonely for so long, and now you’ll be alone forever. I should have told you... I’m sorry.” Okay, the old man is clearly on some kind of pain medication, Shun notes, patting his hand. He’s never been this sentimental, and his eyes are clearly having trouble focusing on his grandson. “You never even knew your own mother,” he sobs out like it’s some kind of confession, and Shun has to interrupt him there.

“Of course I knew her, Grandpa. She raised me. You don’t just forget someone in eight years.”

“Not Shiori, no, Shun.” He sat up a little, grasping Shun’s hand. “Your other mother-” He coughed violently. Shun leaned forward to support him, mind racing. His other mother? Was he adopted? But no, he was the spitting goddamned image of Shiori, and he’d always assumed his dad had simply run off somewhere. Had his mother had a wife or girlfriend? He hadn’t considered the idea, and since his grandfather was outwardly homophobic he’d always thought his mother would have had the same values. He’d never gotten the chance to ask her about it, and if she had, she’d been gone before he was born. 

Grandpa was still coughing. Shit. Shun’s stomach pooled with worry. Was this going to be it? But the old man shook his head, and regained his breath. “Shiori, she kept a book about her. Wrote it for you, for when you’d be old enough to understand. I was supposed to tell you, I promised, it’s in a compartment above the hall closet, it’s-” He broke out coughing again, and Shun reassured him.

“It’s okay, Grandpa. You don’t have to tell me. I can find it now, I know. You did good. You don’t have to talk anymore, if it hurts.” And he didn't talk anymore, but Shun stayed beside him anyways.

He passed that night.

After a quiet drive home, a long hug from Dan, and a long round of condolences via text and call from various concerned friends, Shun was almost tired enough to just head to bed and leave the hall closet for another night entirely.

Almost tired enough.

He walked quietly down the hall, passing the living room where Dan had already crashed out on the couch. Stealth wasn’t necessary- Dan slept like a rock. A narcoleptic rock. On horse tranquilizers. It was more out of habit than anything. He avoided a slightly raised panel in the floor, also out of habit. Hey, maybe now that Grandpa was gone he could get rid of some of those booby traps. Shit, that was a terrible thing to think, wasn’t it. He was too damned tired to admonish himself for it, though. 

Shun finally reached the hall closet, and pulled it open, clambering onto the second shelf up so as to better reach the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a false panel there. He pushed it up, and a small hatch swung open, sending a dusty box tumbling towards the ground. Thanks to years of honed reflexes, he was able to catch it before it hit the ground, but it didn’t sound like anything breakable. Just a dull thud. He carried it to his room, full of anticipation, and set it down on his bed.

With careful hands, Shun lifted the lid off of the box. Inside was a small cloth-bound journal, a small paper note, and a familiar green feather. Very familiar. He lifted it, running a finger across the edge. Skyress, unmistakably. While most of his brawling partners had green feathers, they were all very distinct. Skyress had possessed her own verdant shade, and a unique sheen. This was one of her shorter feathers, not a flight feather, and as Shun examined it closer, was from before she had evolved, lacking a yellow tip. 

He turned it over in his hand a few times. This was intriguing, certainly- he had previously figured his mother had received Skyress and handed her over without talking to her, simply believing Bakugan to be a game that Shun liked, but this suggested that they had battled together at least once. And what did this have to do with his "other mother," as Grandpa had said?

Setting the feather aside for further consideration, he reached for the note.

_ My dear Shun _ , it read, in his mother’s distinct handwriting, and he had to pause for a moment there to collect himself, because he hadn’t seen it in so long. He took a deep breath and continued reading. 

_ My dear Shun. I love you so much, I want you to know that first and before anything. I know there are things I’ve been secretive about, and now that my days are nearing their end, I would like to share them with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in person. I’ve tried a few times now, but I have been too much of a coward. I trust you’ll have met your other mother by now, but this journal contains the details of our meeting, as well as the truth about my illness. I hope you can forgive me for keeping these things from you. Again, know that I love you very much, and I’m glad she’ll be there to guide you after I’ve moved on. _

“What.” Shun whispered out loud. None of this made any sense. He’d already met his other mother? And what did his mom and his grandfather mean by that, exactly? It was only when he picked up the journal and read the title that it clicked. 

_ My Sky.  _ With an etching of a familiar feather on the front. Surrounded by a heart, if the title wasn’t clear enough.

“Oh, what the fuck!” Shun was officially at his limit for bullshit that could happen in one day. He was going to bed now.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if dan didn't sleep so soundly something like this probably would have happened  
> Dan: *yawn* hsnmemserghphf. are you good? i thought i heard you say something  
> Shun: uuughmymooom??fuckedabiiiird  
> Dan: uhhhh. do you wanna repeat that?  
> Shun: iwannagotosleeeep  
> Dan: aight ok


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the one where Shun gets accused of homophobia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a carrd where you can look at the fic outlines for My Sky [here, if anyone's interested.](https://myskyfic.carrd.co/) (HAH! Look at my technoprowess. That link even works and everything.)

Shun dreamed that night in a small, white space- empty, but not stiflingly so. It felt comforting and familiar, in a way. He drifted for some time, mind blank.

A gentle pricking sensation began asserting itself along his upper back. It was almost an itch, at first, but quickly exploded into pain. Like a sunburn, and then a rash, and then an active swarm of bees. Shun reached back, expecting to feel blood, knives, fire ants, something- but his hand didn’t come away wet, or stung. He felt something… soft? He grabbed and pulled forward, revealing a feather.

A small, pale green feather, downy as a chick’s. He brought it closer to his face, forehead creasing. He knew there was some significance to this, but he just couldn’t remember, couldn’t quite grasp it.

His back erupted. A cascade of green, filling the space like sand in an hourglass, and Shun was no longer floating, but on the ground. They were covering everything, blocking out his vision. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t _breathe_. He was going to die here.

A clatter from the living room brought him to consciousness, and Shun sat bolt upright. That had been a fucked up dream. 

Alright. 

He took a moment to calm his breathing and gather his thoughts, before heading out to make sure Dan hadn’t knocked down anything valuable.

He had, as a matter of fact, somehow managed to tip over a TV with what had to have been an impressive pillow throw from lying completely horizontal on the couch. Another round of sleep-brawling, most likely. It wasn’t broken, though, and Dan was in the middle of setting it back up, laughing sheepishly when he noticed Shun enter the room.

“Hey, dude. Sorry for waking you up with that. I know you have ninja senses and everything but I was still hoping you’d sleep through it somehow. By the way, it looks like you left this out in the hall last night, what’s even in he-” Dan leaned over to pick up a box, _the box with Skyress’s feather and his mom’s book in it_ , and Shun saw red. The box was in his hands and he was in a protective stance before Dan could finish his thought. Dan backed up, eyebrows raised. “Alright, alright, no touchy the box. I get it. Sheesh. I wasn’t going to open it or anything. I won’t even ask if you don’t want me to. You doing okay? Want to play Mario Kart?”

Shun took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m okay. No, I really don’t feel like playing Mario Kart. I just- This box is something my mom left behind it and I don’t know how to feel about it.”

Dan cocked his head to the side in that vaguely-stupid-vaguely-cute way he did sometimes. “I mean, I won’t press you on it, but my therapist says talking about stuff can help sometimes, and I’m here if you wanted to? Talk about it. Or whatever.”

Shun thought for a second. On one hand, Dan was not the best at keeping secrets. On the other, he was easily his best friend, and he could use someone to make sense of this with. His first instinct was to pull away, to hole up somewhere and read the journal and then bury it somewhere where it could never be found. The stubborn part of his brain reminded him that that was exactly what his grandfather would have wanted him to do, and he didn’t want to end up a bitter old paranoid ninja with no friends. So, he opened the lid of the box, and passed it over. “You should be able to make sense of this.”

Dan looked through the box, skimming the note and peeking at the book and feather with confusion. “...I don’t get it?”

“What is there to not get?” Shun questions with disbelief. 

“So, your mom had a girlfriend or a wife or whatever? And you met her apparently? I just don’t get why that upsets you. You’re not homophobic or anything.” He pauses for a second. “ _Are_ you homophobic? Because I just kind of assumed that-”

“I'm not _homophobic_ , Dan. The issue,” He picked up the feather from the box, “Is that my mom’s partner was _Skyress_.”

“Oh.” said Dan, eyes widening as the information sunk in.

“And, completely skipping over the part where my mom fucked a Bakugan, Skyress never told me. She even said, explicitly, that she couldn’t be my mother. Even when she left, she never told me. I didn’t think she was my mom, but I thought she cared about me. I thought she would have trusted me enough to tell me something like that.”

“Oh.” said Dan. “That’s kinda effed.” He paused again. “So, are you sure about Mario Kart?” His face was apologetic, like he wanted to say more, but didn’t know what.

“Yes, Dan. I’m sure about Mario Kart. I’m going to go start reading this, I think.”

“Did you want company? Or breakfast. Or both?” Dan stood up, handing the box to Shun.

“No on the company. I think I want to read this myself. Breakfast sounds good though.” Shun left Dan to start on breakfast preparations while he headed to a room he hadn’t been in years.

It seemed like his grandfather had, though, since his mother’s things were all tidy and dust-free, exactly the way they’d been when she’d packed to leave permanently for the hospital all those years ago. Before then, things were brighter in the Kazami house. Grandpa trained him, sure, but there were so many happy times interspersed among training sessions that it was fun, especially when Mom had been healthy enough to take part in them. Shun brushed those memories aside, though. It was time to start reading this thing.

He opened the cover and started on the first page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate fic ending for this chapter:  
> Dan: So, you think they did it in ball form or,  
> Shun: *Punts him into the atmosphere*  
> Jokes aside, I ended up majorly editing the overall outline for this because it turns out narrating someone reading a whole book is hard and gets real boring to read. You'll get a chapter or two of the journal at a time and then a chapter or two of the present day narrative. That's why this chapter is a little shorter. SEEYA.


End file.
